Following the
grand reveal of the latest
Android build running on fresh HTC-sourced hardware at I/O today, Google took some questions that managed to pull a few extra gems from the rough. First and foremost, key specs of that lovely piece of kit were exposed: 3.6Mbps HSDPA is on board, as is a Qualcomm MSM7201A processor good for 528MHz, 128MB of RAM, 256MB of ROM, a capacitive touchscreen, and the key to our hearts. Despite that capacitive action, it was reiterated that Android is designed to work with a wide variety of form factors -- everything from touchscreens to QWERTY keypads to devices with no screen at all (!!) -- so fans of physical input methods definitely needn't fret in the least. New features demoed for the first time today include a configurable home screen launcher, accelerometer integration in Google Maps' Street View, Pacman (which we can only assume will become the Solitaire of Android), and a new unlock UI for touchscreen-based devices. Some of the stuff shown was coded at the
very last minute; they pointed out that the clock, for example, had just been thrown together yesterday, so they're definitely flying by the seat of their pants here -- a good thing for speeding up device availability, we figure.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
David @ May 28th 2008 6:08PM
I ALSO HAVE A CAREFREE MENTALITY
Jaque-o @ May 29th 2008 3:46AM
REALLY?! Me too !!! Damn, we're so alike all together, you think we're like... long lost twin brothers?!
Katie @ May 30th 2008 11:29AM
One of you could vanish at any moment. You should take this opportunity to make out with yourself.
i cant wait @ May 28th 2008 6:09PM
I can't wait for this truely open UI to appear. Then we will see many manufacurers come to market with touchscreen products that are useful for bsuniess. And I can wait to see the apps developers will produce for these devices.
Anyone know when we will see the first Andriod devices hit the streets? Q4 '08, Q1 '09?
Jordan Biffle @ May 28th 2008 6:09PM
So... is that an iPhone they tested their platform on? I mean it does look widescreen and have chrome lining. but yet its wider on the sides. WAIT A MINUTE........IS THAT A 3G iPhone!!!
eh... who am I to kid.
Haikibutsu @ May 28th 2008 6:25PM
It said HTC in the article.
Ben @ May 28th 2008 7:52PM
It's a HTC Dream
chickenator @ May 29th 2008 1:52AM
yeah i thought it's th iPhone
Stefan @ May 31st 2008 3:04AM
everybody thinks anything with a touchscreen is an iphone,
im wondering if people know that apple did not invent touch screens
Todd @ May 28th 2008 6:10PM
WANT!!!
Matt Vanandel @ May 28th 2008 6:18PM
YES! But with more CDMA, preferably.
Tom @ May 28th 2008 6:22PM
Right on, Matt. Us Sprint and Verizon kids need our kicks, too.
kccboy2004 @ May 28th 2008 9:06PM
I have to say that I told you so.
I have been ranting on about Android for months.
The Apple promotors/ defenders are curiopusly quiet. In fact, I have not heard a peep from them.
As the man said, "Thou shalt not worship graven images" (or something like that). And then there is the "Worship no other God but me" (Apple promotors: that means that you can look, but you can't touch).
Oh boy, I am so excited I could pee.
Bassir @ May 28th 2008 6:16PM
I'm really interested.
I'd be completely more into this if the iPhone didn't offer a cheap solution for unlimited data, which is a must-have for me.
ConfusedPhilly @ May 28th 2008 6:19PM
an iphone has cheap data? where?
Abuzar @ May 28th 2008 6:32PM
7 dollars a month on t-mobile!
BlackFlag79 @ May 28th 2008 6:38PM
Cheaper than the SERO plan from Sprint? I pay $30 a month and get unlimited internet, text messaging and 500 minutes. All other carriers can't compete with that. People rip on Sprint for their customer service, but I've never had to deal with them.
kccboy2004 @ May 28th 2008 9:19PM
Dear Steve,
I hope that you are well.
I am sorry it has been a while since I wrote last. MY dog has been sick and my Mom says that I should be spending less time in my room on my own.
I have been hearing people making more and more comments about the demise of Apple.
People are talking about how Apple went bankrupt in the 80's because they worked on a purely proprietary basis, not releasing their software for wider sharing in the technology.
I know that it looks like that. I know that it looks as if this is the beginning of the end. That a whole load of manufacturers (like they did in the "cheaper" pc days), will start to release their hardware running on this Google Android software. That this is going to put Apple out of business.
Well, all I can say to them is, "Yes, history is a good judge of the future, and Yes Steve, like IBM, made some 'miscalculations' before, but no really don't think that Steve will make the same mistake again".
I can't help but listen to these people though. They do make a lot of sense. And my throat is getting a little hoarse. (By the way, I am almost out of puberty now, and my voice is a whole lot deeper. It is still a bit croaky though).
I will try write again soon, but please when you reply to me next time, please please my name is spelt "Sasson", not Susan.
Love you,
Sassy
xxx
Kaiser-Machead @ May 28th 2008 10:03PM
@kccboy2004,
I find it rather ironic that you're going on about Apple being on the verge of bankruptcy when their market value exceeds that of Dell.
And just so you know, Apple was in trouble in the 90's, not the 80's, and it wasn't because of proprietary systems. In fact, it was the exact opposite. Lots of in-fighting, poor management and undermining their core business with clones nearly drove them under. When Jobs took the helm and brought back the vertical integration and focused the products, business boomed (no pun intended). Your letter is nice. Too bad it's pointless (and erroneous I might add).
Mike W @ May 28th 2008 6:18PM
This is amazing, except it only has 128 mb? That may make me stick with the Raphael unfortunately. However, the capacitive is wonderful! I just wish they could bump those RAM specs. Because it's capacitive, does that mean it has multitouch possible?
Darkest Daze @ May 28th 2008 6:25PM
Don't forget though, that this isn't Windows Mobile, so we can't say exactly how much ram the OS needs, and how it handles programs in the background, etc. 128 may be more then enough for Android, but we'll have to wait and see.
Personally, I can't wait for this and I really hope it hits Verizon...preferably sooner then 2yrs after it's released on GSM.
dagamer34 @ May 28th 2008 9:10PM
It's a phone, it's not running Windows! 128MB is plenty.
iofthestorm @ May 28th 2008 10:15PM
The keyboard might also make me stick with Raphael, but hopefully there will be hackers who port Android to Raphael, considering they've already ported it to older HTC phones.
TareX @ May 29th 2008 3:54AM
This phone DOES have a sliding keyboard. Everybody has known that for many months, so far.
There's also NO SHAME in saying this:
It WILL be an iPhone knockout. Will the iPhone be comparable? Maybe. But the HTC Dream's openness (customizable UI, shortcuts...etc) of this phone stands against everything the Apple iPhone is.
francosicilia @ May 28th 2008 6:20PM
Hmmmm. it's the 28th.
John @ May 28th 2008 6:20PM
damn.. GSM is a deal breaker for this one. Im not paying $40 a month for at&t's spotty 3G network
bob @ May 28th 2008 6:24PM
i thought at&t just got rated the best 3G?!?! :s
paul @ May 28th 2008 7:51PM
You won't have to as it's initially only going to be available on T-Mobile's network. Not AT&T. Also interesting to note, Sprint is an OHA partner, but I've not heard any word that Android will work on any CDMA network like Sprint (or for that matter Verizon).
Brett @ May 29th 2008 3:33AM
@ Paul
From what I understand Android should work fine with CDMA. It just needs the right hardware.
spook4thecia @ May 28th 2008 6:25PM
Absolutely genius- preempt the new iPhone announcement. There are a lot of people, including myself, who were waiting to see what Apple would announce since there hasn't really been any more news about Android. Google did a smart thing, give the masses a taste of Android so that iPhone 2.0 won't taste so sweet.
spook4thecia @ May 28th 2008 6:26PM
Absolutely genius- preempt the new iPhone announcement. There are a lot of people, including myself, who were waiting to see what Apple would announce since there hasn't really been any more news about Android. Google did a smart thing, give the masses a taste of Android so that iPhone 2.0 won't taste so sweet.
waiownsyou @ May 28th 2008 6:29PM
OMG... LOL!
I have that same exact clock from Ikea!
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/4695/dsc01352mp4.jpg
eggothewaffle @ May 28th 2008 6:52PM
Oh man...Now I'm totally lost on trying to figure which next super phone to get :[
Apple is the Microsoft of the millenium @ May 28th 2008 7:13PM
Where are all the iPhone fanatics now? Oh that's right, they are still drooling over the cell phone triangulation for Google Maps on their $600 iPhone they picked up after waiting in line for days just one year ago. Makes you feel like an idiot for camping out & overpaying for an iPhone, doesn't it?
These videos promise more than the next 3G iPhone will deliver next month. That should shut Steve's sheep up.
huh @ May 28th 2008 7:30PM
Features are one thing.. quality is another. How many phones (or computers) have a "2 megapixel camera" that is absolutely worthless? It's pretty hard to make a perfect phone out of the gate, especially since the gphone looks like a consensus phone. That said, I'm really looking forward to it, being an open source guy it's the best choice, and the extra competition in the market can't hurt either.
jake @ May 28th 2008 7:48PM
Come on man, don't use this phone to knock the iphone. The iphone was still a great phone in it's own right, which I think anyone can agree. I'm excited about android phones coming out, and even if the android phone is better than the 3G iphone that will only mean Apple will have to work harder on iphone 3. That's why competition is good. If Android turns out to not be as good then Android will have to improve.
Knocking the iphone or apple every chance you get makes you no better than apple fanboys who bring the iphone up every single article about a touchscreen phone.
Joppa @ May 28th 2008 9:39PM
I'm guessing we'll be able to put Android on every phone out there except one, unless Apple drops it's ridiculous proprietary pride and realizes the enormous selling point this would be for their phone.
Justin @ May 28th 2008 7:42PM
Android + Atom Netbook = Working at the cafe, throwing away my Palm device, goodbye Razr..
xiux @ May 28th 2008 7:45PM
is it me or all videos on that site are gone? when loading the site it will redirect automagically to one of these "search" site...
kccboy2004 @ May 28th 2008 9:05PM
@Justin
You have a Razr. Ouch, that must hurt. But luckily you have a 4 year replacement cycle. I am really pleased for you, i can only imagine your joy in experiencing a real user interface. That Razr really was not good, was it ?
tehnrd @ May 28th 2008 10:13PM
I see one thing this can do that the iPhone cant and that is the "compass street view". It is definitely cool but seriously, are you really going to stand around spinning in circles with a phone in front of your face. Cool factor = 9, usefulness = 4.
Tehseen @ May 28th 2008 11:45PM
Oh dont forget its made for every type of phone, not everyone wants a touchscreen. Android is also open where iPhone is not.
Lazaro @ May 29th 2008 2:13AM
"I see one thing this can do that the iPhone cant and that is the "compass street view". It is definitely cool but seriously, are you really going to stand around spinning in circles with a phone in front of your face. Cool factor = 9, usefulness = 4."
what if you lived in new york city and used it for turn by turn directions to walk somewhere?
this way you dont have to look at cross streets or which way traffic is flowing in order to guess which direction you are going. so i'd say usefulness is more than a 4...maybe a 7. cool factor= 100000
Mikey @ May 29th 2008 9:51AM
"Cool factor = 9, usefulness = 4."
I thought this was referring to the iPhone... pretty face, but almost useless for business.
HalfJoey @ May 28th 2008 10:30PM
I just want this released soon, i dont care if the software isn't complete, I will wait for it just as long as i dont have the buy another garbage phone the carriers are force feeding us.
bhavsar_nirav @ May 29th 2008 1:21AM
Its open only if it allows me to unload all crappy google apps.
DiscoCat5 @ May 29th 2008 2:08AM
well gogoel sure did take web surfing and make it its own, so why not mobile device operaing platform?
good on them i think they will do well.
chickenator @ May 29th 2008 4:41PM
yeah i use gogoel
DiscoCat5 @ May 30th 2008 8:26AM
hahaha im sorry mistake.
Brett @ May 29th 2008 3:31AM
Something better show up on Sprint. I just renewed my contract for two years knowing that they are included in the OHA. I'm waiting on Android to be my new phone!